Below is an overview of an active USDA federal Urban Forestry grant that, as the Village’s certified arborist and naturalist, I have been managing with the community to support the removal of invasive trees and the replanting of 1.5–2" caliper native trees to build a more native, climate-resilient urban forest in Irvington, New York.
From December 2024 through December 2025, work in Irvington Woods Park (251 acres) focuses on areas where invasive Norway maple has dominated the canopy—particularly near the O’Hara Nature Center—and replaces lost canopy with strategically planted native trees in canopy gaps and other low-vigor zones shaped by invasive removal, storm impacts, and Beech Leaf Disease. All restoration work follows NYSDEC and Cornell Cooperative Extension guidance, with woody debris intentionally left on site where appropriate to protect soils, provide wildlife habitat, and encourage natural regeneration.
In parallel, the grant supports hands-on community stewardship and youth education through activities such as mushroom cultivation using repurposed logs, dendrochronology and land-use lessons, supplying firewood for the Nature Center’s maple-sugar evaporator, and milling lumber for benches and small footbridges.
Grant financial snapshot:
Total multi-municipality USDA project budget: $433,275
Irvington allocation: $112,652 (approximately 26% of the total project budget)
